Tufesa is the bus line that crosses the US-Mexico border. If you want to ride a bus from Tucson or Phoenix all the way to Guadalajara, Tufesa is how you do it. They are the only major line running scheduled cross-border service on the western corridor.
In This Article
The route starts in the southwestern US — Tucson, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles — crosses at Nogales, and heads south through Hermosillo, Guaymas, Los Mochis, Mazatlan and on to Guadalajara. The full run from Tucson to Guadalajara takes roughly 24 hours.
How It Works
You buy a ticket at the Tufesa office on the US side. The bus crosses the border at Nogales. Everyone gets off to clear Mexican immigration and customs — you need your passport and will fill out an FMM tourist form. Budget about an hour for the border crossing. Then you reboard and continue south.
The buses are comfortable first-class coaches. Not luxury tier like Turistar, but solid — reclining seats, air conditioning, a bathroom. They make meal stops at roadside restaurants along the way.
Why Take the Bus Instead of Flying
Cost and luggage. A Tufesa ticket from Tucson to Guadalajara runs about $80-100 USD. A flight would cost $200-400 plus luggage fees. If you are carrying a lot of gear — camping equipment, surfboards, boxes for an extended stay — the bus makes sense.
The route itself is part of the trip. You watch the Sonoran desert roll by, pass through colonial Alamos, see the Sierra Madre from the coastal highway.
Connecting Further South
From Guadalajara you can catch an ETN or Primera Plus to Mexico City, or Futura down to the Pacific coast. For Central America, Tica Bus runs from the Tapachula border crossing down through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
